The Stray
by Aeneisha
Summary: Loki is a God of Mischief with a talent in shapeshifting, everyone knows that. When he escapes from Asgard and falls onto Midgard, he uses his powers to shapeshift into a cat in order to hide and cure himself. Last person he'd expect to save him is no other than Tony Stark himself.
1. The Stray

_A/N:__ This is my very first fanfiction, so be kind please, especially if the characters go OOC a little, I need to get used to them. I'm not a native speaker and also, I don't have a beta-reader. ;)_

_This is a m/m romance story with slash in later chapters. Set after the Avengers._

_Please review, I'd love to know what you think about this. _

_I don't own the characters._

_Edit: Beta-ed by the lovely Yogg. Thank you so much! 3_

It was a fine, sunny day for the New York City. Older couples and mothers with strollers were slowly getting home and the younger population was getting out into the streets as the sun was slowly moving down, bathing the buildings in a warm, yellow tones. One particular ray of light, however, seemed a little out of place.

There was a loud crunch as Loki's body ricocheted from one wall onto the cold ground and slid into an oddly smelling pack of bags. He hissed in pain as he struggled out of the garbage, one of his hands immediately going to the side of his chest. Probably a broken rib. Looking around, he found himself in a small, dark and dirty alley. Midgard then. Good that he didn't fall on someone, not that he'd mind hurting a person or two right now, but drawing attention wouldn't work for his current situation.

Escaping from Asgard went good until he crossed a particular line and his own powers betrayed him, forcing the magic against him. Asgardians were foolish though, Loki wasn't as weak as they considered him to be. He experienced so much pain in his life that their ridiculous attempt of stripping him of his magic if he was to escape, vastly failed.

Even so, that meant his powers were strongly wasted now. Loki sat up and with a heavy breath he leaned on the cold wall. Shaking his head to clear it, he glanced down and looked over his body. Legs seemed to be fine, thankfully, so he wouldn't have to crawl trough this Gods forgotten planet. His chest was clothed in his royal leather coat but he saw his own blood soaking through. There was probably a deep cut under the clothing, so deep that even a God winced over the pain it caused. Running a hand over his ribs, he found out he really did had two ribs broken and when he tried to lift his left arm, he had to bite his finger from crying out loud. Disclocated.

"In the name of… Damn!" Loki clenched his jaw as he tried to move again. No can do, he has to heal himself first. He began the process of curing himself at the broken ribs part first. He leaned over a little, lean fingers playing the old magic. He felt the bone cracks close and get back into place as he grazed his chest as if his own body was a musical instrument. It was when he wanted to move to the cut in his abdomen when he felt the magic flicker and slowly fade. He sat back again, acceptance clear on his features. Seemed like the escape cost him more magic than he has thought at first.

He closed his eyes and sighed a little anxiously. His hands moved to close around him in surrender to his own weakness. Loki knew very well that it wouldn't be easy, but better to be weak and vulnerable on a planet he had practically nothing to fear on, then worry about his fate and life in the jails of Asgard.

"Come on, I think I heard it somewhere around here!" Loki's head shot up. Someone's found him. There was a moment in which he considered fleeing, but how could he? He had no chance escaping with a dislocated shoulder, open wound dripping blood and his body so weak that he would have laughed over himself if _only_ he could.

"Over there!" Now he heard footsteps. Loki stopped dead in his tracks and listened. Two, no, three pairs of legs. Quickly approaching him. What were his options now? If it was only one of those mortals, he could have fought them, but three were… _disconcerting_ considering his current state. Biting his lip, he looked at his hands and his eyes flickered a bit. There was still some magic left in him.

Loki's lips moved slowly, speaking words of millenium old language as his body started to glow at first, then morph. In a matter of few seconds, his shape got distinctly smaller, but just as lean. His raven black hair got shorter and it seemed as if it spread all over his body; back first, then arms and legs. His human ears shaped and moved to the top of his head when his legs and arms morphed into the ones of a four legged animal. Where the God of Mischief, Loki of Asgard sat moments ago, there was a cat now. Black as the night, eyes deep, emerald green.

"You've got to be kidding, dude." It was just then, when three teen boys ran into the alley and all of them stopped dead when their eyes met with the green ones. "A _cat_?"

"You made us run like that for nothing but this gross creature, thank you very much!" One of them, the tallest one, said rather loudly and Loki would have snapped his spine if he could. Calling _him_ gross? He stood up on all fours and backed a little. He didn't want any kind of trouble in this extremely vulnerable form, not to say he was still injured.

"I'm sorry buddy! You never know when one of the superheroes could appear again, would you rather miss something like that?" It was a brown haired boy now; he seemed to be the one who forced them to run there.

"I would not, you idiot, but you've got us a damned cat!" At that the tall boy moved towards Loki and the God suddenly felt something in him itch for another escape. "Fucking animal!"

Loki didn't know if he should be thanking himself for healing the ribs first, or cursing himself for not running sooner when the shoe of the tall boy connected violently with his side. Stumbling to the ground with a painful hiss, he forced himself to get up again and leaped forward for exit from the alley. Limp or not, even with his dislocated shoulder, he could get himself killed in this form. It was too dangerous for him now.

"Don't you run from me!" The boy followed even to the loud protests of his companions. Loki had a hard time believing what was happening. If he was in his human form, he would have accepted violent behavior. He was used to it. But were Midgardians really so stained with their own vanity as to lower themselves to hurt an innocent animal? Loki wasn't innocent, he knew that well. But in this form, he was no more than a stray cat to the humans.

He was almost there, the light from the New York's street blindening him already.

"Gotcha!" Loki was roughly pulled up by the skin on his neck, momentarily feeling almost paralyzed. Damn this cat thing. The boy lifted him up to the height of his eyes and grinned wickedly, gripping the delicate skin even tighter, making Loki hiss in pain. He felt the power over his body for a moment and used it to swiftly lift his healthy paw and smack it over the boy's face as hard as he could. Claws included. "Ouch! You little bastard!"

Moment later, he was sent flying to the ground again. He was thanking the feline instincts now, landing on all fours was surely helpful. Loki moved into a defense position, awaiting another kick or pull from the human.

"Leave it boys! What the hell do you think you are doing!?" The God stilled. That was a familiar voice. A way _too_ familiar voice.

"There you have your superhero, dumbass. Run!" The brown haired boy shouted and the three of them turned to flee. Loki would be glad, indeed, but his attention snapped to the car that parked at the side of the road. The door slam shut and to his measureless surprise, Anthony Stark, the very man he threw out of a window quickly strode his way to him.

He _hissed_. Oh dear, another frustrating cat thing he's probably set on automatic whenever he got stressed. As noble and royal he was, Loki hissed at the man like any Midgard cat would. _That_ was just ridiculous.

"Hush now, little guy." Stark said soothingly and kneeled down in front of the little creature. Loki realised then, Stark had no idea of who he really was. If he behaves like a normal cat would, he should be just fine.

Tony glanced over the cat and sighed dramatically. "They messed you up real good, didn't they?" he said, grazing a hand over the black fur and feeling the animal twitch away from his touch. Tony saw the blood then and his eyes quickly found the deep cut, then the left front paw being in an odd angle. Another sigh.

"How about we get you fixed, okay, buddy?" Tony announced and Loki had only a moment before it dawned on him, that Stark was planning on taking him with him. It was a low growl that escaped his throat now. It took effort not to claw his hands just like he did with the stupid boy. But then again, he realised, he could use the man. Let him think that he's only an injured stray cat that needs it's time and rest. It couldn't be that bad, if his true identity stays hidden, he could even heal faster than he thought at first.

Stark leaned over to lift the lean body, the cat suddenly surprisingly obedient. "There you go. You'll be alright." He said, his voice soft and calming to Loki's surprise. Maybe, just maybe, Stark was being a douchebag with people only. That would be another plus for the God then.

When they got into the expensive car, Tony looked over the interior first, before pulling a shirt from the backseat and putting it on the passenger seat. He gently placed the cat there, trying not to move it's body too much in case there was any internal damage.

"Right." He exhaled as he sat down. "Be a good cat and behave before we get you to a doc, kay?"

Loki looked up at Stark as he pulled the car on the street again. He registered the man's expensive suit and a billionare's visage, but his face seemed tired. Small scars on his face didn't escape him as well; they were probably from the fight few months ago, maybe even from the glass when he threw him out of the Stark Tower.

It was now, that he finally had a moment to lie down that he realised just how tired he really was. The endless run, excessive use of his magic and the wounds; it all fell on him now, that the adrenaline ran out. Loki felt his eyes flutter shut and with a sigh, he let his head fall on his front paws. A little nap would surely help him even if just a little and the stupid man next to him had no idea who he really was anyway. Perfect. It was just before his mind left the body and he fell asleep that he felt a warm hand gently caress the top of his head.

~tbc~

**That's it for now! So sorry if it seems a little short, I was just setting the scene ;)**

**Reviews would mean the world to me, I'll try to reply to them in the beginning of next chapter. Let me know what you guys think of it! **


	2. Reminder

**Edit**: I'm sorry! For some reason every name I put 'Mr.' in front of completely disappeared! Must have been akward to read, thank you to everyone who pointed it out! 3

_A/N:__ Wow! Thank you so much for the reviews/follows! I didn't expect such a response to this story. Big big lovins for you m'dears._

_I should point out that I'm a slow writer. To top that, __life hasn't been easy to me for the past few weeks,__ but from now on I'll try to update weekly at least :)_

_Now to reply some of your lovely reviews:_

_Kogouma__: I'm glad you liked it, thank you! I wasn't sure if I should put it there, just like that, but then again, it's not always easy for stray animals. There's always a danger for them in the streets, be it cars, predators or humans._

_Shidoni16__: Haha! That made me laugh! I can assure you that something like that will not happen ;D_

_Defying Gravity10:__ Thank you! I couldn't help myself with that last part mostly because it's what I would do ;)_

_1madscientist: __Thanks a lot! I'll try to do that from now on ;)_

_IzzWolf234: __I am really glad you think so! I was worried that I won't get into his character, I mean... it's not easy to write the God of Mischief, haha! And you're completely right ;D My cat would fit with his character, but he's a white splashed brown tabby named after a Supernatural demon haha!_

_I'm not a native and this wasn't beta-ed. Big sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes!_

_I don't own the characters. Reviews mean the world to me! _

Tony pulled the car over and parked in front of the veterinary hospital. Scratching the side of his head, he looked at the sleeping cat on the passenger's seat and let out a deep breath. He's never had an animal. The only pets he's ever got; or better, he considered his pets; were the machines and of course, his suit. He still couldn't quite believe that he was actually doing this. But if he just lets the cat heal and then find a new home for it, everything should be just fine. Right?

"Right. Let's get you in." Tony said and leaned over to his right. The cat slowly opened one eye and glanced up at the man. Tony had to admit, the animal had something more to it than being _just_ a cat. It's eyes seemed almost human-like. Intelligent, wise and to Anthony's surprise, somewhat familiar even.

Tony carried the cat in the shirt he put under it when he found the animal. It surprised him how calm it was now, considering that it hissed and growled at him at first. He blamed it on the injuries. He walked trough the main hall right to the ambulance section and knocked on the door. A young woman in her late twenties opened, smile playing on her lips.

"Good evening, how can I-Oh God." She stopped mid-sentence, lifting her hand to her mouth, wide eyed. Tony sneered though, she wasn't even looking at the bloody cat in his arms, she was –oh and here comes the creepy fangirl smile – looking at _him_.

"Yes, Tony Stark. Nice to meet you." He said quickly and glanced down at the cat. "I think I am in kind of a hurry here, so if we could skip the 'can I get an autograph' thing and get this poor thing inside?"

The nurse gaped at him for a moment before her look slid down on the ball of black fur Stark was holding. She came closer and seeing the injuries, she immediately backed to the room again, calling something to the doctor and coming back few moments later. "The doctor will see you now, come in."

Tony, relieved a little, entered the room to be met with kind eyes of an older man in a white coat. He was tall, taller than Tony and seemed to be around sixty. The doctor then.

" Dr. Miller at your service." The man introduced himself with a genuine smile and offered a hand.

"Stark." Tony shook the hand. For once, someone wasn't eyeing him as the celebrity he was; the doctor seemed absolutely oblivious about his social rank and investigated the cat instead.

"Dear me, what happened to you?" Dr. Miller whispered and gently rubbed the cat behind it's ears. The animal just gave him a strange look.

"I found it on the street, some teens were about to kick the soul out of it. I jumped in." Tony explained briefly, glancing down from the doctor to where the cat was.

There was a click of heels as the nurse moved for the tools Dr. Miller needed. The doctor himself showed Tony to put the cat on one of the tables, not once taking his gaze away from the animal. Tony moved and gently put the little patient on the table. He fixed his gaze on the deep cut on the cat's side again. He had to wonder; how in the hell did the kid manage to do _that_? Shaking his head he just lifted his head to look at the vet again.

"Will it get out of it?"

"With some stitches and a right medicament, it will." The doctor replied, his voice gentle. It was clear that he was a professional, keeping his voice low, not to stress the animal. "Now Mr. Stark, if you could wait outside, I'll let you know when I'm done here."

Tony nodded, feeling a little on the edge about the animal. He wasn't the doctor there though. Giving the feline one last glance, he left the room, closing the door behind him. He moved to sit on one of the chairs in the waiting room and as he did so, he immediately lifted his right hand to rub his eyes. What was he doing anyway? The cat will need some time to recover, it's not like he could just put it in a shelter. And even if he did, he'd just call them over and over, asking how is it doing. Hell, he'd even make sure it has gotten a good home. But was _he_ up to taking care of it? Sometimes, he didn't even know how to take care of himself, let alone a living creature. Tony let his hand fall down to his lap again as he leaned back in the chair, looking out of the window. He would get Pepper to help, yeah, that's it. She didn't really care about him at the moment, but knowing her, she wouldn't say no to a cat. Tony sighed a little, shifting in his seat. Pepper was still angry with him. The relationship they had was thrown to a bin when she's catched him with a woman in his bed, him being drunk after few hours at a party he wasn't even supposed to attend and the naked female just _sneering_ at her as she craddled his lap, because she knew about them… yeah, that was just awkward.

Tony looked around the room. Lucky for him, there was no one in there, so he could wait in peace without having to answer questions such as 'What are the Avengers working on now?' or 'Wow, where did you leave your suit?' Really, he didn't care. He had other things to take care of, that being his company and mostly, his life. Because as weird as it would sound to his fans, Anthony Stark was _tired_. Tony turned his head again and his gaze settled on a vending machine. Oh, that's great, coffee was just what he needed now. Standing up he slowly walked to the automat, deciding on his choice for a little while and settling on cappucino. As he threw the coins in and waited for the machine to proceed on his order, he could already smell the distinct scent of the coffee and a low, pleased exhale escaped his throat.

It was about thirty minutes later when he, sat on the chair with an empty plastic cup in his hands, looked up at the doctor as he opened the door.

"Come in. We're done." Tony nodded and stood up, throwing the cup into a bin by the door and walked into the brightly lit room.

"He's going to be fine. There was more damage done than I thought at first, but it's not deadly." Dr. Miller explained and Tony's gaze fell upon the feline who, stitched up and bandaged, laid on the metal table, an expression of unexplainable disguist on it's face.

"You gave it some painkiller drugs, didn't you?" Tony asked, amused by the animal. The vet glanced from Stark to the cat and back, smilling briefly.

"That, an anesthethic injection and a paste that will help the organism fight with any kind of infection. Why?"

"I can see it on it's face." Tony chuckled and moved closer to the table. The cat gave him a _look_.

Dr. Miller pulled off his gloves and put them on his office table, all the while looking at the man stood in front of him. "He had a dislocated shoulder. I replaced the join to it's socket, lucky for him, he didn't have any tissue damaged, so a wrap isn't needed, but if you'd see any sign of the leg being limp, call me and we'll give him a fixation." Tony stared at the table, nodding, taking in the information as the vet continued. "The x-ray also proved what I thought at first, he has two broken ribs, but since the chest wall cannot be immobilized, it will heal well on it's own. Just make sure he doesn't jump from high places. The cut on his side is stitched; the stitches will come out on their own."

Tony flinched a little when the feline moved, or rather; tried to move. The anesthetics apparently done their job on the animal. The cat tried to lift itself on the fronts, but fell face first on the table again, dissatisfied sound escaping it's throat. That had Tony snorting.

"Generally, it's a very well built, strong animal. He'll heal quickly, I'm giving it a month before he gains his full strength again." Dr. Miller continued. "I don't know if you're planning on keeping him, but since he's an adult male, I have to recommend sterilization."

The feline's head shot up at that, looking straight at the doctor. Tony just patted it on the head, getting a flinch from the animal.

"Nah." He said, sneering. "The manly of me side couldn't do that to him."

Tony smiled then, as the cat let it's head fall down again with a sigh. briefly nodded and moved to the table too, wrapping a blanket around the cat.

"Very well then, Mr. Stark, my nurse will give you the needed medicaments and a check so you can send it when you get home. Make sure he gets his rest, no food for the following three hours and then start with something simple."

Tony lifted his arms to take the drowsy feline, smilling politely at the doctor. "Thanks doc, I'll call you if anything should go wrong."

With that, he quickly nodded at the nurse too and left the vet station.

* * *

What a disgrace! Not only was this form alone an extremely embarassing one, but actually _treating_ him like that… Loki had to hold himself from crying out in frustration. Presumably, the so-called doctor has done what he'd do with any other cat, but Loki wasn't just _any_ cat now. And –oh, of course- the anesthetics. He just hated being unable to move, let alone feeling drugged like that.

Loki turned his head, fixing his glare from the man that was carrying him to his surroundings. They entered the Stark tower and took up the stairs. Apart from a quick stop at a pet store, Stark _raced_ back to his home; it made Loki feel like throwing up in the black car. Well, that could have been hilarious.

Admittedly, he couldn't complain after all. Apart from the veterinary station which, to his realization, could have been worse, he was being treated as a fragile creature, because that's what he was in Stark's eyes now. An injured, powerless animal. He needed Stark to believe that until he recovers not only his health, but magical power too, so he can zip out of this form and flee again. Where to? He had all the time he wanted to figure that out now.

Entering one of the spacious rooms, Stark moved to put Loki on a sofa that was placed in a darker part of the room. He waited for a while, concern clear on his features. Loki lifted his head to look at the man.

"Don't give me that look, buddy." Stark said, rubbing the side of his head. "I'm not great with animals, but we'll have to survive this, kay?"

Loki felt an urge to laugh in his face at that. Of course _he'll_ survive this.

"Right then, no food for now, but I guess I can get you some water. You must be thirsty." The God watched as Stark strolled into the kitchen. He took in the look of the room he was in. There was the huge window, the kitchen counter… yes, this was undeniably the very room from which he threw Stark out into the open space. It was amusing to think he was there again.

Stark came back from the kitchen with a bowl in his hand, putting it down in front of the sofa once he got there. Loki noted the panicked expression on his face; Stark had obviously no idea what he was doing. The man lifted him up again; good for him he was being so careful; and put him down next to the bowl.

"Alright. Drink all you want, I'll make a quick call and be right back." Stark announced and left the room, leaving Loki in a calm, relaxing silence. He tried to sit up, finding out that the anesthetics mostly worn out by now. That was good. Finally a moment for himself where he wouldn't have to worry about any possible danger, be it from Midgard or Asgard. He didn't like staying in this form for so long, but Stark wasn't going to stay in the house all the time, so he could change to his normal form now and then.

His only choice in Stark's, or anyone else's, presence is to behave like the cat he's supposed to look like. That shouldn't be too hard.

Stark came back few minutes later, eyeing the cat and probably thinking that it drank at least a little. Loki wasn't thirsty at all, not after being given all the medicaments.

"Well then." Stark started again and Loki paused over the man for a little. He was actually talking to him like he would to a person. "Let's get you back on the sofa, so you're comfy."

Loki let the man put him back on the blanket that smelled just like the veterinary station. He would have pulled a face at that, but was smarter than that. His head just lifted up and he watched as Stark sat down beside him, rubbing his eyes before letting out a deep sigh. Loki watched in disbelief as Stark pulled his knees up on the sofa and his face suddenly seemed ten years older. The God moved a little closer and studied Stark's expression; he seemed completely exhausted. He's never seen the man like that, because frankly, Stark was a human known for his automaticaly-recharging batteries; he just never stopped being on a move, throwing jokes at everyone and being overally optimistic about anything. Now this figure in front of him wasn't Stark. Whatever has clouded his mind like that had to be big. And Loki found himself wanting to know. He absentmindedly leaned a little to the side to get a better look on the human's face. Stark's eyes were closed. For all his confidence and arrogance, Loki never expected the shiver that ran down his spine. He knew that expression. He wore it on his own face for most of his life.

More sighing. Stark let his legs fall onto the floor again and looked at Loki, smiling a brief, but genuine smile, before slowly lifting his hand to caress the God's head.

Loki let him.

* * *

"Where's the poor thing, Tony? Let me see him!" Pepper arrived about fifteen minutes after he'd called her. Of course she would leave anything she was up to to see a _cat_ in _Tony Stark_'s hands. And it was getting late anyway, so she had some free time on her hands.

"Hello to you too, Pep. He just fell asleep on the sofa, the meds has done their work on him." Tony replied, taking her jacket and putting it aside. He led Pepper to the room where he left the feline moments ago to find it still curled up and sleeping.

Pepper marched to the leather couch, the sound of her heels making the animal lift it's head in a surprise and fixing it's gaze on her. "Dear me, you really had it rough, didn't you?" She practically chirped at the cat and Tony found himself chuckling. The tomcat _glared_ at her. He proceeded to the kitchen, pouring a full glass of fine scotch into one of the glasses before strolling back to the sofa and sitting down.

"I swear to God I'd punch the guy who did it to him if he didn't run away so quickly." Tony mentioned, sipping on the drink. Pepper just waved a hand.

"You're obviously too horrifying, Tony." She said and kneeled down in front of the cat to take a better look at it. "Is he going to be fine?"

"Yeah." Tony replied, rubbing the cat behind it's ears, not aware of the animal leaning away from the touch a little. "The doc said I should call him if anything should happen, but this guy seems to be a strong one. He'll pull trough."

Pepper smiled. "That's great to hear. Have you thought of a name?"

"I was thinking Mr. Paws could be fitting." He wanted to continue, but drew in a sharp breath instead as a good part of the cat's claws disappeared under his skin. "Or not."

"You really are something," Pepper lifted her eyebrows at Tony and looked back at the feline. "He deserves a good name, look at him. Such a good looking, noble creature."

The Tomcat straightened at that, looking at the woman again.

"Raziel could fit him." Tony looked at her, confusion clear in his expression. "It's an angelic name. Raziel is an angel of mysteries."

"Raziel? Really? Since when are you an angelic nerd, Pep?" Tony quirked an eyebrow and sipped on the scotch again.

"Since I met a very certain man that likes to arrive late to anything he's supposed to attend, Tony. I get bored."

"But Raziel?" Tony ignored her comment.

"It's better than Mr. Paws."

"Well…" Tony had to admit he liked the sound of it. And to be completely honest, there was some kind of mystery around the cat. How did he get the cut, the other injuries that just didn't seem like a boy could do and mostly, why the hell did an animal remind him of something, or rather, _someone_ so much? "I guess we can go with that."

Pepper chuckled and patted the cat on it's head before standing up again.

"Have you decided on a shelter yet?" She queried and Tony glanced at her.

"Shelter?"

"You're not keeping him, are you?" Tony leaned back in the sofa. There goes Pep's scolding tone.

"I'm certainly not putting him to a shelter." Tony replied, bemused a little.

"Tony, you can't keep him." The tone of her voice was slow, firm. Tony, however, felt like a criticised kid.

"Why not? It could be fine, I mean, I'm here alone most of the time."

"Unless you bring a strange woman from some kind of a party, right?" Pepper said and Tony swallowed back at that.

"Pep…"

"Tony, you can't even take care of _yourself_, how are you going to look after an animal?" Tony groaned and looked down. He hated this. He hated this so much.

"You're ridiculous, Pepper." He said silently before downing the whole glass.

"Obviously." The woman shook her head before turning on the heels and marching for her jacket. "I'll be back tomorrow or the day after, just to make sure he's alright. Or _you_."

Tony didn't reply as the door clicked close. He found himself frozen to the bone, gazing on the floor. Pepper was right, he had to admit that. He had people around to take care of him, but the only thing _he_ could take care of were his machines and those didn't need to eat, drink or needed his presence most of the time. He didn't even get exasperated of she made an utter fool out of him. After all, he didn't _care_ anymore. He tilted his chin up, glancing to the side where the cat sat and sighed. Standing up, he cracked a few joints in his back as he stretched and slowly moved to the kitchen, right to where the scotch was.

This was going to be an interesting chapter of his life.

~tbc~


	3. Similarities

**_A/N:__ You guys are being the sweetest readers ever. Love you all! I am sorry about the mistake in the last chapter, I didn't realize that everytime I wrote __' Mr. ' in front of a name, it disappeared completely. I don't know why that happened but hey, all fixed now. I'm also sorry for posting this just now. I know I promised to update weekly, but I was in a hospital and since I don't have a laptop, the chapter had to wait until I got home to be finished._**

**_Onto replying the reviews now!_**

_eligentvomit__: Haha! I am sorry! We pretty much just call them nurses in my country, so I went with that. I used to help at a clinic for a bit, but when I actually assisted on castration of my own female dog who just... woke up on the table, still open... yeah that changed my mind real quick haha!_

_wintercomesoon__: You have a clever phone then, haha! Really, will you pat it for me, please? I am glad you enjoyed the story, thank you!_

_Fan girl 666:__ Oh dear, that would have been priceless indeed! I am glad you like the story ;D –huggles-_

_Kowy:__ I promise I'll try not to, haha! Thank you very much too, I've wanted to __write something for ages and seeing the reviews really pushes me forward even though my english is just awkward at times :) Also, your senses are doing a good job ;D_

_Whitebengal14:__ Being the trickster he is, I think Loki could play any role well, haha! And that's what I am __trying to do, I mean... Loki and Tony surely have a lot of things in common actually. So letting Loki see that might turn his thoughts about Tony a bit ;)_

_I'm not a native and this wasn't beta-ed. Huge sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes!_

_I don't own the characters. Reviews mean the world to me!_

* * *

There was a strange sensation on his shoulder. It felt strange, but not the bad strange, he decided. He let out a breath and murmured something under his lips, shifting a little. It continued and –oh- now it moved to his neck. He couldn't place the feeling; not really, it was as if something had nudged at the skin on his throat, but it was a delicate, soft poke every now and then. He decided to ignore it and rolled to his side, blissful sigh escaping him once more. It took a minute and the nudging was back, stronger now, urgent even. It hit the vein in his neck in an awkward position and he instinctively lifted his arm to wave it around his head as if there was a mosquito buzzing close to his ear. He did hit something. But it wasn't small, it wasn't almost untouchable. What he hit was fluffy and heavy against the palm of his hand. It took him a moment of realization before he could do anything, but it was too late.

"Ouch!" Tony jolted into a sitting position, rubbing at his cheek where he, as he presumed, had a burning scratch now. Glancing to his side he indeed saw his little attacker and he couldn't help but snicker. "Sorry Zee, waking me like that, you should've seen it coming."

Tony leaned to pat the small head; Raziel unmoving. He registered the cat's whipping tail and a strange look in it's bright green eyes that seemed almost like a frown. "What?"

Raziel just continued on burning holes into Tony's eyes; his gaze settled on the human. Tony almost found himself looking away; the feline sure had some interesting skills. He lifted an eyebrow, confused of what was happening before it hit him hard and he slapped his forehead. "I am such an idiot! I didn't feed you last night!"

God, he had to do something about this. Set Jarvis or something to remind him, or better; do it for him, because he'd forget anyway. _Great_ start on having a pet, Stark, really. He pushed himself up, sliding out of the –hang on- what was he doing on the couch? Looking around he felt an urge to slap himself again. He _drank_ last night. And apparently he drank quite a lot. _Again_. Tony kneeled down to pick up two empty bottles and one half-empty before slowly strolling to the kitchen.

Putting the bottles away, he moved around the kitchen to get the bowl he bought yesterday. As he leaned down to get into one of the drawers where he left the food, Tony had to lift an arm to brace himself up. Of course the hangover would come at some point, but this was unexpected. Being used to the alcohol, he sometimes didn't even get one. Admittedly he _knew_ he was screwing with his life. Not the crazy alien wars, not the company not even women… the alcohol and Tony's personality itself will be the death of him and eventually, he'll probably end up worse than those corrupted politics he kept hearing about. He just knew that. Pepper gone, or rather; hating him, he had practically no one to turn to. There was S.H.I.E.L.D. of coure, the Avengers. But Bruce was busy working on something in Africa, Natasha and Clint were out of the list and Steve was… _Steve_. It's not easy to talk to a seventy year old guy. Tony tried, of course he did, but when they got to the point where Steve asked him about the gadgets and technologies Tony had around… whoa, never again.

He eventually got the bowl, now full of food, to Raziel who was still sat on the couch. Tony smiled apologetically and put the bowl down. "How are you feeling today, hmm?" He asked, the tone of his voice cheery. He pat the feline behind it's ears, not surprised when it moved away from the touch. He did blame it on the events Raziel went trough.

"Jarvis?" Tony asked, lifting himself up. "What do we have on the list today?"

"Good morning sir," The Ai replied, Raziel visibly flinching and crouching down, eyes wide. Tony smirked at that. "You have a missed call from Fury. He asked for a personal meeting."

Tony's brows furrowed. "What did you tell him?"

"That you are sleeping sir."

"Wonderful, Jarvis." Tony chuckled more or less to himself.

"He's sending Captain, Clint and Natasha over, sir. He sounded very persistent."

Tony lifted his head up, glancing at the ceiling. "When?"

"They're already here, sir." Tony nodded, defeated.

Just as he moved to the elevator, the door opened. First to come in was Steve, followed by Natasha and the hawk. Something instinctive in Tony went on full alert when he saw their expressions, already knowing that there'll be work to do and this is not just a general meeting.

"Good morning, sorry about the mess, I wasn't exactly prepared on holding a good ol' morning party." Said Tony, false smile playing on his lips as he moved around the room.

"Stark," Steve started, folding his arms. "We need you on a mission. Fury sent us."

"Yeah, I got as much. What's up?"

"Loki's gone." It was Clint who spoke up and Tony found himself completely confused.

"What do you mean gone, Thor brought him back to that 'A' fancy-named planet didn't he?"

Steve rolled his eyes and sighed, shaking his head. "He managed to escape. Thor is back, on a search. He thinks that Loki is hiding somewhere on Earth. As of Fury, he wants _us_ to go looking for the trickster too."

Tony frowned. He still remembered what the trickster caused as if it was yesterday. The war, the chitauri, the unexpected flight from his own window… Loki was dangerous. But considering everything and putting facts together… "Why would he want to run away from his planet?"

Clint snorted at that as if he knew better. Natasha elbowed him for that. "It's a different _planet_, Tony. He may be a prince there, but after all he's done, what awaited him was not just a jail but probably an infinite torture as well. If not execution. Of course he'd flee."

Tony didn't reply. He _did_ understand that in a way. Because as much as Pepper may be a nerd about angels, Tony took his time reading the Nordic stories and it wasn't just Thor, but Loki too. Tony had actually come to an understanding when it came to the God of Mischief. If he was to go trough all Loki did, he would fall apart a lot sooner. If not right at the beginning, but then again, Tony was no God.

"You have a cat?" Natasha spoke up for the first time, her eyes settled somewhere behind Tony.

"Ah, yeah. That's Raziel." Tony replied, not even looking at the feline, his hand coming up and pointing back.

"No, I mean _you_ have a cat?" She looked at him now and Clint snorted again.

"Thanks, Tash. You're one sweetheart of an assassin, you know that?" Tony rolled his eyes and felt an urge to just throw them all out. There was still that damn hangover and he wasn't in a state of getting personal jokes well.

"Can we come back to the topic?" Steve jumped in. "As I said. Fury wants us out. Take your suit and let's get out of here, you're the only one of us that can search the city from above."

Tony rubbed the bridge of his nose and nodded. No can do, he didn't have anything better to do anyway. "Right. You can go, guys, I'll get out of here trough the terrace and report back to you if I spot anything."

The team nodded in unison and turned to leave. Tony moved around the room and before anything, he decided to wash his face at least. The bathroom smelled of expensive deodorants and shampoos, it was a nice, clean smell and Tony breathed deeply trough his nose. He should have gone in there sooner; it was a nice way to wake up.

Five minutes later, Tony appeared in the living room again, glancing over to Raziel. The cat was sat in front of the window now, looking out. Tony smiled to himself before walking to the feline and crounching down.

"Be a good guy, Zee. I'll be back soon." He said, patting Raziel on the back. He registered the cat was tense. "Hopefully."

There was a dull beep as Tony pushed a button on the bracelets and his suit came to life, covering his body like a new, strange type of skin. Tony loved this. The feeling when his machine perked up and slided around his body as it formed the infamous Iron Man he was known for. He stole one last glance towards the cat before walking out and flying off.

* * *

So they knew.

Loki stared out of the window, the sunrays making his fur glow in shades of dull brown and grey. The Avengers were searching the city, Stark included. Lucky for him, he played his part well and the man had no idea that the one he's searching for is living in his house. The Hawk and Widow were too human-oriented to realize and Captain America was no threat at all. Thor, on the other hand, was a problem. He knew of Loki's abilities. He knew his magic. And worst of all, he even knew what his forms _looked_ like.

Loki got up on his feet and glanced around the room, his gaze settling on the bowl Stark has prepared for him. _That_ was a problem too. No way was he going to eat that disgusting portion of food. However, there was only one way to solve that.

He searched the room once more, before moving away from the window and stoping behind the couch. He closed his eyes and his whole body tensed for a moment. There was a buzzing sound and his arms and legs started lengthening, his face once again forming the handsome human form. He shifted in a matter of few seconds, mentally praising himself for being faster every time he did it.

Loki took a deep breath, glad that he can use _his_ nose again and not the sensitive feline one. The injuries did hurt of course, but he was Loki of Asgard. He was used to pain. Pain was more of a brother to him than Thor was. Slicking his hair back with a sigh, he strolled towards the kitchen. He wasn't wearing his armor, the rest was on though. Of course it cost him more magic, but it wasn't like he wanted to walk around naked. Loki opened the fridge and raised his eyebrows approvingly when he found it completely filled. Stark had obviously had some strange taste for unhealthy food, but Loki found few things he considered eatable. Picking out a few vegetables and an apple, he moved back to the couch and sat down.

If the Avengers were searching for him, it meant that he'll have to be damn good on playing his role as a cat. Living here, in the Iron Man's house was, however, the best he could get. It was, after all, the least suspicious place for him to be hiding at. Loki chuckled at the thought. The Avengers were probably searching for him in smelly, dark alleys when he was actually sitting on Stark's leather couch, living in a billionare's house.

Loki chewed on the apple, humming over the sweet taste it had. He frowned at some point though. He couldn't think of how to trick his brother if he was to appear in this house. Thor was the biggest problem. The thunderer could easily determine a difference between a real cat and Loki's shifted form. The trickster figured he'd just hide somewhere, because after all, this house was _huge_. And the blonde God was… blonde. Thor was slow and considerably dumb; watching out for details was his biggest problem. Loki's lips twitched into a smirk and he continued on chewing his meal.

It was about twenty minutes later that he got up to his feet again, walking to where the bowl of cat food was. Loki leaned down to pick it up and carried it to the bathroom where he tossed the bowl's content into a toilet. It took him a little while to figure how did the flushing of this thing work, but he found out soon enough. Pleased with playing a good cat that eats it's food, he carried the bowl back to it's place and then he sat down on the couch again. He needed to rest. The injuries were healing quickly, but the stitched wound was still hurting and he didn't want to re-open it again.

* * *

Tony came back when it was dark outside already. He landed on the terrace, letting his machines take the suit of before storming into the house. He was in the air the whole day and found nothing. None of them did actually. Not him, not Natasha, not Steve… not even the Hawk and that really was something, considering how good the guy was at spotting the slightest details. They had nothing. Not even a _clue_. And to top it all, Fury called him about an hour ago and wanted him in the air the following days too until they _do _find something.

The man took a deep, calming breath. It will be alright. The trickster might not be on Earth anyway. Tony looked around, spotting the empty bowl. One thing is going fine at least. He didn't see the cat anywhere, so he left his praise for later and decided to take a shower instead. He needed it. After a whole day in the air, locked in a suit, he smelled like an old peasant.

When he entered his bedroom thirty minutes later, wearing only dull grey sweatpants, he had to chuckle. Raziel was laid on his bed, curled around himself and deep in sleep. Tony walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge, leaning his arm to pat the cat's head. Raziel jerked his head up, looking at Tony with those emerald eyes.

"Hey there, Zee. Daddy's home." Tony chirped and he could _feel_ the feline rolling it's eyes.

"Jarvis? Any missed calls when I wasn't home?"

The AI perked up and the sweet, British voice came trough the speakers. "Yes, sir. You have three missed calls from Miss Potts."

Sweet mother of God, she was serious. "Right. Dial her for me, please."

Tony waited as the beeps ringed trough the house until there was a click and Pepper's voice came trough. "Tony?"

"Evening, Pep." Tony said, trying to keep his tone neutral.

"For God's sake, Tony! Can't you _ever_ pick up your phone when I call you?" Well, that was a nice start.

"Sorry. Something came up. Fury called the Avengers on a mission."

"That doesn't excuse you." Tony rolled his eyes at that. Women never change, do they? "What happened?"

"Loki's gone from Asgard. Thor thinks he's hiding here on Earth, but we didn't find a damn thing." Tony explained, feeling tired already.

Pepper was silent for a minute bit before she spoke again. "Maybe he's not even on Earth?"

"That's what I thought too. But really, have fun explaining that to Fury." Tony said, sarcasm clear in his voice as he leaned back to let his body fall onto the bed. "Why did you call, Pepper?"

"I wanted to know how Raziel is doing."

"He's doing _fine_. He'll be fine." Tony replied and really. He didn't want to have that conversation.

"And how do you know that? As far as I can tell, you weren't at home the whole day." Pepper's voice was silent, but Tony could feel the worry, anger and betrayal in her tone.

"Pepper." Tony started. "Don't. Just don't."

* * *

Loki laid on the bed, listening to the conversation. It went on for almost twenty minutes already and Stark and the woman were loud. They were arguing about him, mostly, but the themes changed from second to second only to come back to the matter of Stark not being able to take care of a cat.

"Tony, you should just hand him to me. I've had cats. I know what to do." The woman was insistent. Loki didn't like it.

"Not happening." Stark was still laid back on the bed, but the trickster could see how tense he was.

"Christ, you're such a child! You've never even had pets, Tony! I did!"

"Well excuse me, Miss Potts, that the only thing I got from my father as a child was a gadget he made." Loki glanced over at the man. Issues with his father?

"I have the feeling that even Howard would do better than you, Tony."

And that was it. Stark literally jerked up to his feet, glaring at the ceiling where the woman's voice came from. "That's it, Pepper. We're done here." Loki watched as Stark paced the room. "I'll call you if something comes up, otherwise… Don't trouble yourself calling me."

There was silence for a long minute before the woman's voice came trough, silent, apologetic. "Tony, I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright." Stark interrupted her. "I know. I meant what I said though. _Do not call me_, unless it's about work or urgent."

And then Stark waved his hand and the phone buzzed before dying out. He sighed dramatically before walking to the bed again and flopped down on his belly. Loki studied his face; Stark seemed to fight against himself. He looked tired, angry and to Loki's surprise, hopeless even. He moved closer to the human, until Stark looked up to him and the trickster stopped-dead where he was. There was genuine sadness in the human's eyes which Loki never even considered seeing in the Iron Man's expression. It was unsettling.

"Sorry, Zee." Stark sighed and his voice was silent and sad. "There're some things I probably won't ever get over."

Loki wanted to move away. He wanted to just jump off the bed and walk to the couch again, spend the night there. But he couldn't. The human in front of him wasn't Stark as he knew him; this was a broken figure of a once proud man. It scared him. He knew this expression, this feeling, far too well.

Stark moved again, turning on his back and then he lifted his arm, putting the palm of his hand on Loki's back and slowly, gently patted him up and down as if the God was the one who needed soothing. Loki found himself leaning into the touch.

"You know… I had an abusive father; I am too much of an egoist hearing about him being better than me." Stark continued. "It's pathetic, isn't it?"

More sighing and Loki for some odd reason moved even closer to the man. Stark smiled gently at him. "He was an alcoholic, you know. Everytime he got drunk, he just yelled at me and then at my mom and then he drank some more." The human rubbed the temple of his nose and closed his eyes. "And what scares me the most? That I might just as well turn into the same person he was."

Stark rolled onto his side and cuddled his face into the trickster's side. Loki let him, he was too stunned by the unexpected emotional talk than doing anything about it. "For God's sake, I don't want to be like him. I can't. I just _can't_."

Stark stayed silent after that, altough Loki could feel the man trembling a little. It was strange. He knew Stark as the proud, optimistic genius. Throwing jokes at everyone and sipping at the expensive scotch. Not like this. He had to admit though, he knew _exactly_ how Stark felt. It made his skin crawl.

Loki wiggled a little, letting the man curl around him even more. He didn't care. He was just playing his role. Or was he? The trickster glanced down at Stark's face and if he could, he would frown. It wasn't that he didn't like the touch, he didn't like seeing someone who he should hate being like this. Being like _him_.

And strange thoughts started circling his mind. Did anyone ever see the man like this? Did Stark ever open to anyone?

_Or was it just him?_


	4. Horizons

_A/N:__ So after a hell of a long time, I'm back to this. I'm so sorry about the impossible delay between the chapters. Had some shitty stuff going on in my life and didn't really feel like doing anything, writing included. You guys have been amazing! Especially as of lately, I've been getting a lot of notifications about this fic, which made me want to come back to it. Thank you! _

_Post U Later__: You'll find out in this chapter ;)_

_Anon__: Now that's an image, might just as well do that, haha!_

_CheetahBlackCat:__ Indeed. Both Pepper and Howard are actually favourite characters of mine, Pepper especially, she's amazing. But for the story to keep going in the right direction, I had to alter them a little._

_LaPirataAna:__ I would have done the same too, probably. Yep. Thank you!_

_Kowy:__ I've always liked communicating with the people that appreciate my work :) It's a way to show my gratitude to you guys, thanks a lot! ;)_

_The Sacred Heart 2:__ Thanks! I'm not into Thorki, so I wouldn't know about the other one, I'm glad you're enjoying this though! ;)_

___Pretzel-Logic:__ Not a spell-checker fail, that was just me being an idiot, haha. Thanks for noting me about that though. ;D_

___Eligentvomit: haha, studying is overrated I see ;D Thanks a lot!_

___whitebengal14: Thanks a lot, dear! I'm glad you're enjoying this ;)_

_I'm not a native and this wasn't beta-ed. Huge sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes!_

_I don't own the characters. Reviews mean the world to me!_

* * *

Two days passed. Still nothing. Tony got considerably calmer though, Pepper didn't call after their talk and he was starting to believe the trickster wasn't on Earth and if he was, he probably wasn't in New York. So all he had to do was aimlessly fly above the city until it got dark. He had to admit, he missed some action. His days got boring and monotonic. The only thing that he actually enjoyed doing was looking after the cat. Raziel was getting better and Tony found himself drawn to the feline. He talked to him every evening; he talked about Pepper, his father, his life as the CEO. And it calmed him, because he could tell the cat anything he wanted without being judged. Without feeling vulnerable.

He was on his way home, when he spotted Steve searching one of the alleys. Rolling his eyes, Tony turned in the air and descended down until he landed about three meters away from the Captain. Steve turned, his expression showing full alert but when he recognised his team-mate, he relaxed and streightened up.

"Evening, Tony." He started and watched as the other man's helmet exposed his face.

"Hey, Cap." Tony smiled in greeting and searched the other man's face. "Got anything?"

Steve sighed, scratching the back of his head. Tony didn't even need an answer then. "_Nothing_. I'm getting hopeless here. It's been three days already."

"Fury is silent too, isn't he?"

"Actually… He called me in the morning. Thor hasn't found anything yet, but he does have some ideas." Steve looked him in the eyes then and Tony was suddenly very aware that this probably has something to do with him.

"Go on, Capsicle. You're being a dramatic theatre actor." Tony smirked and took a step to the side, leaning on the wall. Steve just rolled his eyes.

"He mentioned a meeting; I would have thought you knew." Steve continued. "Fury wants us and Thor in the Stark Tower two hours from now."

Tony frowned at that. "Since when is my home the Avengers' meeting place?"

"I don't know, Tony. But I can't go against his commands."

"Yeah, I know, Cap. I wonder why he didn't call me yet." And then he frowned again, his eyebrows coming closer to each other. "Jarvis? Any missed calls?"

"Five, sir." The AI perked up inside his suit. "All from Colonel Fury."

The look he's got from Steve was something he'd frame if he could. "Oops."

"Well that explains a lot of things." Steve smiled a little awkwardly, before turning and glancing at Tony. "I'll search a bit more and meet you at the Tower then."

Tony nodded, putting his mask back on and taking off again. Admittedly, he wanted some kind of a meeting, or a call, or something. He was getting bored and instead of these useless flights around the city, he could have been sitting in his lab, making improvements on his gadgets. But _nu-huh_, one has to fly around like a mosquito looking for _nothing_.

Two hours and thirty minutes later, he arrived back to the tower. Surprisingly enough the whole gang was there, including the very bossy and very angry colonel. Fury was standing in the middle of the seating, Steve, Natasha and Clint sitting around him. There was another figure that Tony recognised immediately. Thor was leaning on the wall, a strange look of awarness flickering over his features. He looked just as tired as Tony felt.

"Evening, my lovely companions." Tony chirped jokingly, letting the machines take off his suit and walking into the hall.

"You're thirty minutes late, Stark." Fury declared, piercing him with the one eye he had left.

"Oh, am I?" Tony looked up, as innocently as he could. "Silly me, forgot to set an alarm."

There was a low snicker from one of the assassins, Tony couldn't decide which one of them it was. He moved to the bar, leaning on the counter. "So, what's up?"

"Thor has some supposedly useful information." Fury turned around, looking at the God then. "Apparently Loki _is _on Earth. He's in disguise though."

"It's not a disguise as you, humans see it." The blonde God spoke up then, not quite looking at anyone. "He's a powerful sorcerer, he's able to change shape, voice, color."

"Basically, he can look like anything at the moment." Clint declared, a sign of worry in his voice.

"Not quite." Thor continued. "He had to use most of his magic when he escaped. He might be powerful, but his sources are limited, he needs to refill his energy to cast bigger spells again."

"He sounds like the Duracel rabbit." Tony jumped in, earning a snort from Natasha. Fury shut him up with a single look.

"Pardon me?" Thor asked, finally looking at the billionare.

"No, nothing, go on, buddy."

"To be realistic, I'm almost certain he shapeshifted into something. But considering his current state, it has to be something small and of Midg-Earth origin. A small animal most likely."

"So now we're not only hunting a person, we're looking for animals as well." The Hawk lifted his hands in defeat. Now that was just brilliant.

"That is true, but not just any animal. On Asgard, there isn't many animals that would be same or similar to the ones you humans have. And Loki has a certain _taste_, as far as I know, he's shifted into dogs, horses... but those are too big for his powers now, cats and birds."

"It's still kind of impossible, isn't it." Natasha commented. "To find him, I mean."

"Not if you know what to look for, and that's why I am here. If he shifted, you'll recognise him. He'll look like any other animal, but whatever he had shifted into, the green eyes will stay and the animal will most likely be black." Thor sighed. "And of course, he won't act like a normal animal of Earth origin. Lucky for us, he doesn't know that much of your fauna."

"Still impossible." Tony had decided then. Time for some scotch.

The team sighed in unison, this wasn't going to help them much.

"Are you going to stay?" Clint asked, the question sent towards the blonde thunderer.

"For a few days, yes." Thor replied with a brief smile. "I will help you on your search."

* * *

Thirty minutes later, when the Avengers finally left, Tony sat down with a glass of water. _Water_. Strangely enough, his taste had changed these past few days. He turned on the tv and quickly switched through the stations, settling on a hockey match. _Oh well_... His eyes slided down, falling upon an empty bowl. He realised, just then, that Raziel was nowhere to be seen eversince he arrived back for the meeting.

"Zee?" He said into the air, putting the glass on a table next to the sofa and stood up. He looked around every corner in the living room, unsuccesfull. The kitchen, nothing. He moved into the bedroom, but it felt as if the feline disappeared into thing air. It was only then, that he, in the corner of his eye, spotted a black mess of fur sticking from under the pillows. Raziel was there, only a bit of his fur showing and the emerald eyes piercing his.

"Oh hey, buddy." Tony snickered. "Did the big guys scare you?" He said and sat down, pushing the pillows away. The feline had worry in it's eyes.

"Don't worry, little guy, they're gone now." The millionare lied down next to the cat, patting it's head. He had to admit, the animal had done it's work on him, it was truth what they said about cats, he was somewhat calmer, felt fresh and considerably relaxed. The shit going on with the Avengers, Pepper and Loki... he could forget that so easily when he had that little animal to talk to.

Raziel moved, closer to Tony's arm, settling above his shoulder. He still looked alert. Tony was glad the animal seemed to trust him. Or that's what he thought anyway. It wasn't like Raziel came to him himself, or that he seemed like he wanted the cuddles Tony offered. But he wasn't moving away from his touches. He didn't have that 'leave me be' look everytime Tony approached anymore. And when Tony called it a night, the feline let him sleep nudging the ebony fur.

"Don't worry about a thing, I'll protect you." Tony muttered and the look the cat gave him was something he couldn't quite describe. It looked directly at him and if the feline could, it would probably be wearing a smug grin then. Tony stared back at it, the emerald eyes burning into his skull. He lifted a hand, leaning to touch the ebony fur, but stopped dead in his tracks, right above the animal.

Emerald eyes. Ebony fur. Intelligence in the eyes.

Tony shot up, getting on his feet and stormed off to his lab. He might be wrong, no, he _had _to be wrong. Getting through the doors, he didn't even sit down yet, shouting at Jarvis already.

"Jarvis?"

"Yes, sir?" The AI perked up.

"Show me the camera footage from when I wasn't here." Tony said and bit his thumb nail, sitting in one of the chairs. The monitors lighted up, showing his house on different screens, every room on each. "Fastforward it by four."

Tony watched the screens, or better said, the cat. Raziel was either lying on the bed, or moving around, nothing unusual. "Fastforward by eight."

The images flew by, showing nothing out of ordinary. Raziel seemed to behave like any other cat would. Tony leaned on the table, biting his lip. "Any unusual forms of energy these days?"

"Apart from Thor's visit, then no, sir. Nothing." Jarvis replied obediently. "You seem stressed, sir."

Tony relaxed then. "It's alright, just my genius mind doing things again."

* * *

Loki felt like a genius.

He was still lying on the bed, now comfortably spread to relax his limbs. He spent the whole day in this form, being not quite used to stay in a feline skin for that long. He was so clever.

It was the day he arrived, that he realised Stark would have some kind of high-tech monitoring his house. Luckily for him, he stacked up a bit of magic to use for this cause, covering himself in a constant shield against such technology. Apparently, it worked perfectly.

The problem was Thor. The information he's given the Avengers might cause Loki trouble. The Hawk and the red haired assassin had seen him in this form, they might get suspicious, they're not _complete _idiots after all. He had to be patient. When the time comes, he'll disappear again and no one will find him.

Stark came back into the room, stopping in front of the bed and looking down at him. "I looked like an idiot for a bit there, didn't I?" He said somewhat awkwardly and sat down. "For a moment I really thought you were the trickster."

Of course he did, Loki thought, it would be a disgrace to him if he looked completely like any other midgardian cat. Stark sighed and flopped down on the bed, closing his eyes. "I'm not even sure what I'd do if you actually were. You know, Loki is a stupid bastard," At that the trickster almost growled. "But he probably had his reasons. I can't imagine what I'd do in his place. It's messed up, this whole case."

Loki watched Stark rub the bridge of his nose and then close his eyes. The man's chest rose up and fell in a deep sigh. The trickster had to wonder then. What would Stark do if he found out? Would he report to the Avengers immediately or try to reason with him? Loki shifted to get a better view on the man's face. What would happen if he'd shown himself on purpose? Oh wait.

Loki sat back again and turned around, facing the other direction. What the hell was wrong with him? Such thoughts shouldn't even cross his mind, let alone the showing himself part. He closed his eyes and lied down. Just a few more days and he'll be ready to leave. Just a few more days.

He opened his eyes again.

Still.

_What if?_


End file.
